During the weekend of January 4-6, the Sport-fishing Association of California (SAC), the San Diego Rotary and the Ensenada Rotary participated in the 20th Annual “Fish Across the Border” event in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. Bob Fletcher, retired President of SAC and a member of the San Diego Rotary, started the program in 1993.

The event involves distributing cans of tuna caught and donated by the U.S. sportfishing boats to the poor in Ensenada. The event has grown with the San Diego Rotary and the Ensenada Rotary collecting literally tons of food cans and hundreds of blankets each year for needy people in the Ensenada community. Over 900 bags of food, blankets and other goods were handed out to poor migrant workers, a women’s shelter, halfway houses, and orphanage in the city of Ensenada.

All three organizations join forces each January to spend an evening bagging thousands of cans of food with truck pallets of tuna from the San Diego fishing fleet at the Ensenada Rotary warehouse. The bags, and a mountain of blankets, are then divided into a dozen trucks and staged for the following mornings trek into the outlying areas of Ensenada.

Approximately sixty volunteers from the Rotary Organizations and SAC then drive to poverty stricken areas and shelters to distribute the food.

At the end of the distribution day there was a Fiesta hosted by the Ensenada Rotary for the team of volunteers. On the 20th Anniversary of the Fish Across the Border the Ensenada Rotary honored the fellow Rotary Organizations for their help in making this a reality. Bob Fletcher was personally honored for his vision to create the event and to the SAC fleet for its contribution over the years.

“It was quite amazing to see doctors, engineers, firemen, fishermen, and countless other professionals from both sides of the border rolling up their sleeves to help in this worthy cause. The Ensenada and San Diego Rotary Clubs are truly inspirational in showing what can be done when we work together,” said Michelle Gandola, Director of Public Relations from SAC.

We look forward to next year!